"Again, I know it can happen anywhere. If I happen to get a flat tire from driving down a back road shortcut that is riddled with scrap metal, I don't give up driving, but chances are I won't drive down that road again."

With all the nonsense going on the last few weeks my family has pondered cancelling our vacation in MB and going elsewhere. With much thought we decided to keep out booking and go to MB. We shall see how it goes.

I just returned from a road trip that was in a college town that is considered to be where the "rich people" send their kids. The area around the college was really nice but just a couple of miles down the road was a neighborhood that I would really be concerned about walking around in . Unfortunately most of America has good areas as well as some not so good. The chances of something bad happening is not likely , but sometimes it does. Myrtle Beach is not any different. Go to a Charleston forum and you will see that it is recommended that you don't stay in certain sections of that city too.

I went to Albright College for two years, which is in Reading PA. The campus and the surrounding area was very nice and "upperclass"...butttttt if you went 2-3 blocks off campus you were in the hood. My roommate got robbed at gunpoint the 2nd day we were there because he was in that area. Nothing ever happened to me, because I avoided those areas.

It's gonna happen no matter where you are. One thing, don't leave anything out where it can be seen. Not even a carton on Pepsi, because they'll sure come get them a can even if it's by the door lol our cars at home have nothing in them, well my daughters yes!! LOL but my run around car nothing and our 300, that seldom gets driven, nothing. We stayed last year in a rinky dink place in Conway because we came down the day before we were to check in and it was the only place we could get (mustang week) We did not feel safe but nothing happened. Thank God! Because there were some shady characters there lol .. anyway, my input, if you don't have things out to be seen or taken your probably a tad lol safer!!

Exactly. If it rains at the beach and I have a bad time, I'm not going to stop going. I'm going to try it again the next day and get over it because it'll be nice out and I'll have a swell time.

I found the following on trip advisor for Charleston. Just proves that every city has problems.

------_----------++++++++Panhandling in the Historic district.

fountainblu_123 · 27 forum postsMechanicsburg, PAJul 24, 2017, 12:53 AMOur 10th visit to Charleston, 6 nights in town. The panhandling, sometimes agressive, is out of control. From King street to Market to Bay Street, the professional beggars are 2 to 3 on a block. They claim they are "starving or homeless". The same people are there every day. It's a daily routine for them. And Bay Street has a wacky guy yelling at people. The city should have a no panhandling zone in the historic area.

Asking for handouts is popular in every large city I've visited. Here in Myrtle Beach I can hardly ever go to Big Lots on Kings Hwy. without someone looking for a handout. And yes, I usually give away a dollar or two before getting in my car.

Asking for handouts is popular in every large city I've visited. Here in Myrtle Beach I can hardly ever go to Big Lots on Kings Hwy. without someone looking for a handout. And yes, I usually give away a dollar or two before getting in my car.

What was kind of interesting is that on the same Charleston post someone said that the city tried to get a handle on the problem a couple of years ago. They gave the people two choices, work and housing or free bus ticket out of town. The majority chose the free bus ticket to go and beg in another city.

I was approached a couple of years ago at a gas station. A man walked up to me and actually had a crow bar in his hand. He gave me some story about a flat tire and needing $15 for a to buy a spare off of a guy. I first told him that I was packing a firearm and then gave him my own hard luck story of having to feed my four kids and I guess he felt sorry for me and didn't stick around long. He actually walked straight to his car in the corner of the lot and him and the other three with him started up car and pulled out. The car ran pretty smooth considering that the flat tire somehow disappeared during his walk across the parking lot.

I'm sure some people are down on their luck, but a lot of them choose this as their lifestyle and use it as a way to obtain money for drugs.

After visiting Rome, the panhandlers in the US are pretty easy to handle (at least the ones without crowbars). In Rome, roving gangs of Tunisians offer the ladies in your group a wilted rose "for free". As soon as it is taken, they accost the males for payment and it can turn very ugly. Fortunately my lovely family never took any roses, but got tired of being approached so we'd pick up a couple roses which were littering the streets. If you have a rose in your hand, they do not approach you.

Annapolis outlawed panhandling and it has made quite a positive difference in our small city. I remember checking into the Landmark about 10 yrs ago... was crowded so had to park on the street to unload. Approached by a panhandler who asked for $2 so she could buy doughnuts ! Pretty unique, almost gave it to her.... almost

Back on-topic, there was an article in the MB Sun that the recent shooting broadcast on Facebook was a conflict between 2 NC gangs. Tough job for the MB police having to monitor any local criminals (of which ever city has), plus plan for anything inbound with the tourist crowds.

As I've been gone awhile, I've been reading through. This does worry me a bit for my next trip as I have not been since 2013. Back then, I never felt unsafe or scared, though, so it's hard for me to imagine. I am going to take my chances.